Self-Screening and Patient Education Tool for Medication Abortion: Accuracy and Acceptability [ID 1160]

INTRODUCTION: We sought to evaluate accuracy and acceptability of a self-screening and patient education tool for determining eligibility for medication abortion without preabortion ultrasound. METHODS: Between January 2023 and July 2024, patients completed a self-screening survey with embedded educational videos to determine eligibility for medication abortion without ultrasound before their scheduled medication abortion visit. Patients also reported acceptability of the tool and answered a quiz about the medication abortion process and precautions. All patients had their office visits as planned after completing the self-screening; their physician did not know the results of the self-screening. We compared frequency of ultrasound recommendation by the self-screening tool with frequency of ultrasound completed by the physician and described accuracy of quiz responses and acceptability scores. RESULTS: We enrolled 128 participants. The self-screening recommended 93 participants (73%) obtain an ultrasound, whereas the physician completed an ultrasound for 57 (45%) participants ( P <.001). More than 90% of participants correctly answered each quiz question about the medication abortion process and precautions. Acceptability was also high; 97% liked the experience of the self-assessment, 72% thought the videos were sufficient information about the experience and did not need to speak with a doctor, and 98% felt they could be honest in answering the questions. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The self-screening tool was a highly acceptable, if conservative, mechanism for patients to self-assess their eligibility to proceed with a medication abortion without ultrasound. Educational videos can be effectively integrated in these tools to further reduce the need for clinician support in the medication abortion process.